There are many excellent books available for reference and
identification of plants and animals. The following is a list, in no
particular order, of books we have found useful to help identify various species and for
general information. These books and many others may generally be found at your
local bookstores or online. Also, if you have some idea what you are
looking for, you always have a Google Image search available to you.

Birds:

National Audubon
Society The Sibley Guide to Birds. By David Allen Sibley. Published by Alfred
A. Knopf, Inc., New York. Copyright 2000.This is an excellent guide book to bird
identification in North America. Over 6,600 beautifully detailed illustrations
assist in identification of 810 species. Included are subspecies and geographic
variations , measurements and weights, and maps showing distribution, summer and
winter ranges, migration routes and rare occurrences. The Sibley Guide to Birds
is a book that both novice and experienced birders will appreciate and find
extremely useful. A more compact, field guide size, version of this book is
also available.

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National Audubon
Society The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. By David Allen Sibley.
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. Copyright 2002.This book enriches the birding experience by
taking us beyond identification and showing us how birds live and what they do.
A wealth of subjects are covered including habitats, foods, molts, displays,
rearing of young, migration and movements, nests and eggs, anatomy and much
more. This book gives us the rest of the story.

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National
Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Edited by Jon L. Dunn and
Jonathan Alderfer. Published by National Geographic, Washington, D.C. Fifth
edition.A beautifully illustrated field guide with
well laid out pages, range maps and thumb tabs for easy access.

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Sparrows of the
United States and Canada-The Photographic Guide. By David Beadle and James
Rising. Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Copyright 2002. A fine photographic guide to the
identification of sparrows, towhees, juncos, buntings and longspurs, grassquits,
and one seedeater as well as information on their distribution, habits, habits,
molt and voice.

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Stokes Field
Guide to Warblers. By Donald & Lillian Stokes. Published by Little, Brown and
Company, Boston, New York, London. Copyright 2004.An easy to use guide to North American
warbler identification with full-color photographs, range maps, behavior,
habitat information and more.

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Shorebirds of
North America-The Photographic Guide. By Dennis Paulson. Published by
Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Copyright 2005.A complete guide to North and Central
American shorebirds with over 53o photographs illustrating all shorebird species
in their varied plumage,
and accompanied by text that points out the variation within common species.
Also includes identification tips, as well as brief descriptions of voice,
behavior, habitat and range for each species.

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The Shorebird
Guide. By Michael O'Brien, Richard Crossley, and Kevin Karlson. Published by
Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York. Copyright 2006. Another fine shorebird identification book
with over 870 superb photographs that make identification of this sometimes
difficult group easier and quicker. Among the items covered are present status,
taxonomy, behavior, migration, molt and vocalizations.

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A Photographic
Guide to North American Raptors. By Brian K. Wheeler and William S. Clark.
Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Copyright 1995.A stunningly illustrated guide book with 377
color photographs to aid in identifying this often confusing group of hawks,
eagles, vultures, and other daylight birds of prey.

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Raptors of
Eastern North America. By Brian K. Wheeler. Published by Princeton University
Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Copyright 2003.An excellent guide to the identification of
hawks, eagles, and falcons with hundreds of full-color, high quality photographs
and detailed species distribution maps. The authoritative text covers all
aspects of raptor biology and provides exhaustive coverage of adult, sub adult,
and juvenile traits.

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Hawks From Every
Angle. By Jerry Liguori. Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton,
NJ. Copyright 2005.A valuable photographic guide with 339
striking color and 32 black and white photos that help in the identification of
hawks in flight. All aspects of raptor identification, including plumage, shape
and flight style traits are discussed.

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Advanced
Birding. By Kenn Kaufman. A Peterson Field Guide published by Houghton Mifflin
Co., New York, New York. Copyright 1990.This handy field guide, beautifully
illustrated and clearly written, covers thirty-five of the most difficult
groups of birds. It includes discussions of such challenging North American
bird identification problems presented by the dark ibises, Scaup, gulls, terns,
various shorebirds, hawks, hummingbirds, vireos, warblers and many more.

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Eastern Bird's
Nests. By Hal H. Harrison. A Peterson Field Guide published by Houghton
Mifflin Co., New York, New York. Copyright 1975.A very useful guide that includes the
nests and eggs of 285 species found in the 26 states east of the Mississippi
River. Includes description of breeding range and times of nesting as well
as preferred habitat.

A stunningly illustrated book featuring large, lifelike
scenes for each species. These scenes-640 in all- show birds in a wide
range of views, in various plumages and behaviors, including flight, how a
bird's appearance changes with distance, and the habitat in which they live.
Each scene is a work of art making identification, more accurate, and more fun
than ever before.

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Field Guide to Birds--Eastern Region. By Donald and
Lillian Stokes. Published by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, New York,
London. Copyright 1996.

A good basic field guide to eastern birds. Excellent for
those just getting into birding. Plus, this book has valuable information
on feeding habits, nesting, number of eggs, incubation times and time to flight
which is missing in many other bird books.

A fun little question and answer book that addresses all sorts
of questions that bird watchers would like answered.

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Dragonflies and Damselflies:

Dragonflies & Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast. By Giff
Beaton. Published by The University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia.
Copyright 2007.

A beautiful reference book with stunning photos and
readable text that allow quick identification of over 150 species. Text includes
features for field identification, behavior of the species, habitat, breeding
and feeding habits.

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Butterflies/Caterpillars/Moths:

Field Guide to Butterflies of North America.
By Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company,
New York, New York. Copyright 2003.
An indispensable book for anyone interesting in identifying butterflies.
This user-friendly field guide is handy and compact and is chock-full of over
2300 images of butterflies in natural poses. Range maps, similar species
and larval food plants are included.

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The Life Cycles
of Butterflies. By Judy Burris & Wayne Richards. Published by Storey
Publishing, Maine. Copyright 2006.This is a visual guide, from egg to
maturity, of 23 common garden butterflies. An excellent resource for photos of
the complete life cycle of butterflies.

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Caterpillars in
the Field and Garden. By Thomas J. Allen, Jim P. Brock, Jeffrey Glassberg.
Published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York. Copyright 2005.A field guide to the butterfly
caterpillars of North America. Includes over 900 color photographs of
caterpillars, full accounts of how to identify it, range maps and information on
habitat, foods, behavior and more.

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Caterpillars of
Eastern North America. By David L. Wagner. Published by Princeton University
Press, Princeton, New Jersey, Copyright 2005.A lavishly illustrated guide to the
identification of the caterpillars of nearly 700 butterflies and moths found
east of the Mississippi. Includes 1200 color photos, full page species accounts
with images of adult insects, and notes on distribution, biology and taxonomy.

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Butterflies through Binoculars-The East. By Jeffrey
Glassberg. Published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York.
Copyright 1999.

A wonderful butterfly ID guide with 625 photographs and color
range maps as well as abundance, habitat info, food plants, identification,
similar species and more.

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Peterson Field guide to Moths of Northeastern North America. By David
Beadle and Seabrooke Leekie. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publishing Company, New York, New York. Copyright 2012.

A valuable field guide for those interested in moths.
Provides range maps, season graphs and tips on moth identification using clear
charts and photographs.

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Other Insects:

Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and
Crickets of the United States. By John L. Capinera, Ralph D. Scott, and
Thomas J. Walker. Published by Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.
Copyright 2004.A definitive guide to the identification of grasshoppers,
crickets and their allies portraying the insects in full color. Includes
range map, species accounts and habits of this diverse group.

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Garden Insects of
North America. The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs. By Whitney Cranshaw.
Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Copyright 2004.A large reference book with 1420 color
photos describing the vast majority of insect species associated with the
backyard. Includes methods of controlling insect populations, clear, concise
text and answers to just about any conceivable question regarding insects in the
garden.

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Field Guide to
Insects of North America. By Eric R. Eaton & Kenn Kaufman. Published by
Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York. Copyright 2007.A very handy-sized field guide with over
2350 images representing every major group of insects found in North America
north of Mexico. A wealth of information on insects behaviors and life
histories.

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National Wildlife
Federation Field guide to Insects and Spiders of North America. By Arthur V.
Evans. Published by Sterling Publishing Company, New York, New York. Copyright
2007.A very useful field guide with over 940
insects, spiders and related species including centipedes, scorpions and
pillbugs. Includes 1600 beautiful color photographs, range, habitat and
behavior information and tips for finding and studying insects, spiders , and
their kin.

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Plants:

Forest Plants of the Southeast and their Wildlife Uses. By James
H. Miller & Karl V. Miller. Published by The University of Georgia Press,
Athens, Georgia. Copyright 2005.

A must-have guide to the common and unique flora of
Southeast forests, with emphasis on its role in wildlife sustenance.
Includes 330 species of forbs, grasses, sedges and rushes, woody vines, shrubs,
ferns and more as well as 650 close-up color photos showing each plant's
distinctive features.

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Weeds of the
South. Edited by Charles T. Bryson and Michael S. Defelice. Published by The
University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia. Copyright 2009.A beautifully compiled reference book
with over 1500 color photographs providing essential information on 400 of the
most troublesome weedy and invasive plants found in the southern United States.
Includes distribution maps, vegetative characteristics for seedlings and leaves
and special identifying features, reproductive characteristics, and toxic
properties.

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A Manual of Aquatic Plants. By Norman C. Fassett.
Published by The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin.
Copyright 1957.

This is a rather technical identification book that uses keys
to determine a species identity. It covers a large number of aquatic
plants and has many fine illustrations to help find a species. This book
is probably not the best choice for beginners but for those with some biological
background or for those seriously interested in aquatic plants it is excellent.

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Wildflowers of the Southeastern United States. By Wilbur
H. Duncan and Leonard E. Foote. Published by The University of Georgia
Press, Athens, Georgia. Copyright 1975.

Contains nearly 500 color photographs and descriptions
identifying some 1,100 species of wildflowers. An old book but still
useful.

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Trees of the Southeastern United States. By Wilbur H.
Duncan and Marion B. Duncan. Published by The University of Georgia Press,
Athens, Georgia. Copyright 1988.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American
Reptiles & Amphibians. By John L. Behlar and F. Wayne King. A Borzoi
Book published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright 1979, 1997 by
Chanticleer Press, Inc. New York.

A fine field guide to the "Herps" of North America.
Contains 657 excellent photos as well as descriptions, maps, subspecies, voice,
habitat, breeding and behavior.

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The Frogs and Toads of North America. By Lang Elliott, Carl Gerhardt and
Carlos Davidson. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company, New York,
New York. Copyright 2009.

This is a beautiful and comprehensive guide to 101 species
found in the United States and Canada. The photos are simply superb.
Packed with information about range, distribution, voice, behavior and natural
history, it also includes tips on finding, observing and identifying frogs and
toads. An audio CD identifies and presents the actual calls of nearly
every species.

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Other Books of Interest:

The Nature Handbook-a guide to observing the great outdoors.
By Ernest H. Williams, Jr. Published by Oxford University Press, New York,
New York. Copyright 2005

A fascinating book that explores the patterns and
relationships in nature rather than individual species. This book with
some 500 color photographs is chock full of interesting and surprising
explanations of phenomena observed in the natural world.

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National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeastern
States. By Peter Alden, Gil Nelson et al.
A Borzoi Book published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright 1999 by
Chanticleer Press, Inc. New York.

A wonderful field guide that touches many subjects
including habitats, clouds, weather systems, the solar system, the night sky as
well as an amazing variety of plants and animals. If you had to choose
just one book for identification that had the greatest number of different
organisms you would do well to choose this one. It doesn't delve
deeply into any one thing but it does have more variety than any other book on
this page.